Instead of a surge of children entering foster care during the pandemic, the child welfare system has often found itself struggling to help families leave the system.
Housing and Homeslessness
It can be hard for people returning from a prison sentence to secure the housing they need to successfully reenter communities. And the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even harder.
In Santa Clara County, homeless deaths are skyrocketing while the homeless population has not substantially changed.
California farmworkers have been hit especially hard by the virus, as they often live in overcrowded housing, travel in groups to work, and lack access to health insurance.
— The evidence is unclear; some see the pandemic as a chance to revamp systems toward prevention
Outside of the traditional foster care system exists a shadow system of potentially hundreds of thousands of children removed by CPS to their relatives or family friends—without a court case, monetary support, or due process.
Schools in the county are changing curriculums to ensure immigrant students are welcomed and supported.
The third story in The Tribune’s “Substandard of Living” series examining the experiences of low-income renters living in poorly maintained housing in San Luis Obispo County.
In the midst of the pandemic, a new foster care model based on community living and known as a "children's village" has opened up to foster youth on the Cheyenne River Reservation.
Child welfare cases are at a 14-year high months after Los Angeles County’s Dependency Court reopened in June. Families and attorneys are struggling in virtual courtrooms.